Seeking an Affordable Tech Hub? Consider the Triangle

You no longer need to move to the West Coast for top tech jobs and the professional advancement opportunities you seek, simply turn your attention to the Triangle.

A quick look at the world-renowned Research Triangle Park and growing quantity of international and national corporations and innovative startups, it’s easy to see that the combined metro area has the next-generation careers and job opportunities you desire. Even more enticing is the fact that you can actually afford to live here (take that, Silicon Valley).

Realtor.com recently conducted a study to determine the nation’s next big tech towns. The caveat? All had to offer a cost of living today’s engineer and master coder homebuyers can afford. Weighing techy factors such as technology and engineering employment opportunities, major tech company presence in each area, startups, crowdfunding projects and more, the real estate resource’s data team pooled a top 10 list from nation’s 500 largest cities. It shouldn’t surprise you that Raleigh-Durham ranked fourth on the impressive roster that includes the likes of Chicago, Austin, and Atlanta.

#4 Next Top Tech Town: Raleigh-Durham

According to Realtor.com’s findings, our Raleigh-Durham market offers the optimal setting for tech talent with growing families and the goal of homeownership. Researchers reported:

There may be no better place to launch a tech career than the Research Triangle Park, one of the world’s most prominent research centers for biotechnology and engineering. It’s home to Fortune 100 companies such as IBM, Cisco, and Sony Ericsson.

Raleigh and Durham form two points of the Research Triangle; Chapel Hill is the third. Housing prices in Raleigh-Durham are low, and the stock of homes is beautiful, from sleek apartments downtown to Georgian-style homes in the suburbs. Just a few hundred dollars can get you a desk at the area’s many co-working offices—even one in the basement of a renovated tobacco warehouse. How’s that for an entrepreneurial spirit?

“With the corporate giants that make up the RTP, the top-tier research universities, and a burgeoning business landscape that supports creative visionaries, the Triangle area has certainly established itself as a hub for technology, life sciences and more,” said Nancy Harner, senior vice president of the Relocation and Corporate Real Estate Services Division at Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston. “The fact that it is still affordable has led to a high level of demand that propels the area’s growth.”

Work in the Triangle

Research Triangle Park

Located in Morrisville between the Triangle’s largest cities, the well-known Research Triangle Park (RTP) houses more than 200 companies with a combined 50,000 employees leading research efforts and advancements in an array of leading industry sectors. Major RTP employers include IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, Syngenta, BASF, Cisco Systems and Talecris Biotherapeutics.

Raleigh

The state capital of Raleigh is one of the nation’s fastest growing cities with a projected population growth of up to 72 percent to 2.2 million people by 2040 according to American City Business Journals. Home to more than 500 startup companies, which created over 2,500 jobs across a variety of industries, and part of prospering Wake County with tech leaders SAS Institute, Red Hat and Lenovo, the City of Oaks offers a hot business climate with tremendous opportunity.

Durham

Emerging as a technology incubator, Durham has earned national acclaim for its shift from a rundown tobacco town to a revitalized center for innovation with young professionals flocking to its mixed-use streets. Its Fortune Magazine-followed American Underground co-working concept is a Google for Entrepreneurs tech hub that recently announced a fourth downtown Durham campus called Gridworks.

Live in the Triangle

What’s a great job without good livability? Fortunately for you, the Triangle has both.

Continuously named one of the best places to live in the country, this area has a host of convenient cities and towns with the cultural offerings and amenities you seek. Whether the hustle and bustle of downtown calls to you or you’re seeking a green lawn and trees, you can take your pick. Even with an in-demand housing market, the area’s cost of living is affordable compared to other nationally recognized technology hotspots.

You’ll also want to know that the popular region is home to 10 colleges and universities—Duke, Carolina and NC State, to name a few—and some of the best public and private schools in the state of North Carolina.

Play in the Triangle

Raleigh, Durham and the rest of the Triangle’s towns are brimming with places to play, eat, and discover.

With hundreds of miles of greenway trails and paths that lead to green spaces and recreational destinations all over the region’s combined counties, the Triangle is an ideal place to bike, run and walk. William B. Umstead State Park, Eno River State Park and Jordan Lake State Recreation Area are an additional draw for nature lovers, boaters, and campers.

The Triangle has also become a mecca for the most discerning foodies. Home to numerous James Beard award-winning chefs and restaurants like Death & Taxes, Lantern and the Durham Hotel restaurant, farm-to-table dining is prevalent and preferred. The area is also supporting a thriving beer scene that has played well into the Southern cities’ penchant for outdoor festivals and events.

Is culture what you’re after? Head to the nationally recognized Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) in downtown Durham or the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. Both venues offer schedules filled with Broadway shows and live concerts. Is music your preference? Visit Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre to take in an open-air performance by the North Carolina Symphony or listen to breakout artists at Raleigh’s smaller, more intimate Lincoln Theatre.

There is also an array of museums sprinkled throughout the Triangle for residents and visitors to enjoy. You can spend the day strolling through the North Carolina Museum of Art or head to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham with plans to explore and play all day with the children.